Palestinian Premier Sees 'Positive Change' in Unrest

PARIS — Unrest sweeping Egypt and other parts of the Middle East reflects a deep desire for political change and is likely to have a positive effect on regional stability in the long run, Salam Fayyad, prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, said Friday.

The protests, spreading from Tunisia and Algeria to Egypt and Yemen, are “an expression of a desire for positive change, for inclusiveness, for enfranchisement — something which is not in abundance,” Mr. Fayyad said.

“I view it as a predominantly political phenomenon — not a revolt by the angry, not a form of protest against the poor living conditions,” he said of the disparate movements pushing autocratic regimes for accountability, democracy and the rule of law. The events, he said, should not “be looked at with any degree of hostility.”

In the long term, the unrest could bring stability, as “people start to develop a sense of confidence in the institutions of government and learn to rely on elections,” he told an Académie Diplomatique Internationale event sponsored by the International Herald Tribune. “When all is said and done, the region is going to emerge from this looking a bit different.”

He also warned, however, that opposition groups in most Arab countries are only “bound by their opposition to status quo” and that the semblance of unity might fall away once change comes.

Mr. Fayyad was speaking at the end of a visit to Paris, during which he met President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister François Fillon. It was the first time that a Palestinian has been accorded an official visit here.

Mr. Fayyad’s administration exercises limited self-rule over parts of territory in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. A coalition government between Hamas and Fatah broke down in 2007; Hamas subsequently seized Gaza and he was named prime minister. Mr. Fayyad has been trying to put in place structures to allow a transition to a functioning state.

“We are doing our level best to get ready for statehood,” he said, “in the form of strong, competent institutions” that are “open, transparent and accountable.”

As part of that process he said he expected the Palestinian Authority’s cabinet to announce a date for local elections on Tuesday.

His own thinking on whether to hold a general election in the West Bank — assuming Hamas continues to block a vote in Gaza — is shifting. The vote was initially planned for January but delayed, he said, after Hamas hindered the work on an independent electoral commission.

Previously, he felt such an election “would reinforce and deepen separation.” Now, he added, “it may be time to revisit our own thinking” as a vote could become “a unifying instrument.”